Hood latch



May 15, 192s, i 1,670,117

F. E. LIVERANCE, JR y HOOD LATCH Filed March 28, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 i f i l f7 i g4 9 30 :EL

May 15, 1928.

F. E. -LIVERANCE, JR

HOOD LATCH Find March 28, 1927 2 sheefs-sheet 2 Patented May l5, i928?.

narran sraras retain sanear 'nrt-uca.

HOOD LATCH.

Application tiled March 28, 1927. Serial No. 179,085.

This invention relates to a hood latch deone of the elements of construction used in signed for securing the hood doors in a motor vehicle in closed position, the same being readily released when the hood door is to be lifted in order t0 gain access to the engine housed under the hood.

lt is a primary object and purpose of the present invention to construct a latch very economically and provide it with an engaging handle which may be of a necessary width that it will not cut into or otherwise hurt the iingers of the one operating the latch, and to further provide a novel form of side engagement with the hood in order that its lower edges may be held snugly against an abutment with which it engages and so as not to vibrate and rattle. lt is purposed to make the latch almost entirely of sheet metal, the parts of which are readily formed so that quantity production at low cost is secured.

For an understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following 'description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which,

v Fig. l is a side elevation of the latch showing the same applied to a hood door of a motor vehicle, said door and the abutment against which it engages being in vertical section.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section on a plane perendicular to the side of the hood door and centrally of the latch.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the latch.

Fig. l is a horizontal section on the plane' of line 4.-4 of Fig. l, looking in a downward direction.

Fig. 5 is a somewhat enlarged' perspective view of one-half of the latch housing.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary side elevation and section illustrating a diti'erent form ot' side clamping construction than that shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 7 is an elevation similar to Fig. l showing a modified form of'latch construction.

Fig. 8 is a vertical section taken centrally through the latch on a plane parallel to the hood door, the door being shown fragmentarily in side elevation.

Fig. 9-is a horizontal section substantially on the plane of line 9-9 of Fig. 7 looking downward.-

Fig. 10 is an enlarged under plan view of the latch shown in Figs. 7 and 8.

Fig. ll' is a perspective view of the base attaching plate used to connect the latch with the vehicle, and Y Fig. l2 is a perspective `View of the handle of the latch.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the different figures of the drawings. In the construction of the latch, a housing 1s rprovided which consists of two parts which are duplicates, each comprising a semi-cylindrical or half-round section l, at one end having a narrow tongue 2 extending therefrom, and at the outer end terminating in a hat section 3 with interned lianges 4 the free edges of the lianges and the edges of the half-roundv section l being in alignment. The flat section 3 with its interned flanges 4 is of substantially channel form. An opening 5 is made through the web portion 3 thereof.

Each of these parts of the housing is formed ol' sheet metal stamped into shape. The handle for the latch comprises a separate member also of sheet metal, having a lower section 6 the width of which is such that it lits betweenl the flanges l of the two members of the housing when the same are placed together with their edges in contact. 'lhe handle is widened above the part 6 as indicated at 7, curved to one side and upwardly and then back, as indicated at 8, terminating in an outwardly extending handle portion 9, it being evident that the hand of the operator may be placed underneath the curved .section 8 and the portion 9 and a secure grasp thereon obtained. From the curved section 8 a hook l0 is struck, being curved away from the part 8 as shown. At the lower end of the handle member, that is, at the lower end of the attaching section 6, the metal is slit substantially midway between its side edges and the parts at each side of the slit bent outwardly and downwardly at an angle away from each other making the tongues 1l.

With two of the semi-cylindrical housing members described and as shown at Fig. 5 placed together to form a substantially tubular housing, the attaching section (5 of the handle may be located between the webs 3 and with the anges 4l extending toward and in Contact with each other, and a rivet 12 passed through the openings 5 and through a like o ening 5a in the handle member to secure y connect the arts together. The tongues 11 fit against t e upper ends of the semi-cylindrical sections 1 and prevent any tendency ol the handle to turn about rivet 12. y

The housing member' With-the handle attached as described is open at the bottom. Into the lower end of the housing the spring assembly is to be inserted and then secured in place. The spring assembly unit includes a lower attaching plate which secures the latch to the vehicle. This plate 13 at one side is formed with an upwardly extending cup 14 slotted at one side, at 15, through which a rod 16 may be passed upwardly until a head 17 at the lower end of the rod bears against the under side of the cup 14. On this rod a closing cap for the lower end of the housing is then placed. The cap has a circular base 18 with a continuous annular u wardly extending flange 19 around its e ges and is of such size that the lower end of the housing made by fastening together the two semi-c lindrical sections 1 fits within the flange an the lower ends of the housing come against the upper sides of the base 18. Base 18 of course has the proper openings punched therethrough for the passage of the tongues 2; and it also has a central opening for the free passage of the rod 16. After the spring has been placed over the rod and against the cap, a shallow thin sheet metal cup or washer 21 with a cent-ral opening for passage of' the rod is placed over the rod against the upper Tend of the spring. The rod is then upset or flattened, as indicated at 22, so as to prevent the washer 21 moving upward beyond the upset portion of the rod. This spring assembly is inserted into the lower end of the housing, the lower cap moved until the tongues 2 extend through the base 18 of said cap, and then the tongues are bent inwardly toward each other against the bottom 18 of the cap completing the assembly.

The latch is capable of use without further additions thereto but in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive I have shown a side engaging clamp vor pressure member to engage against the outer side of a hood door and hold it against vibration or rattling when the latch yis in service.

A length of sheet metal is bent into curved.

form, as at 23, so as to snugly fit around the housing of the latch and terminates in two spaced apart ears 24 which extend to one side of the housing. A cylindrical pressure member 25 of rubber has a metal sleeve 26 through it and this pressure member is located between the ears 24. A pin 27 shouldered at Aits ends having been passed through the sleeve 26 its ends extend through openings in the ears 24 and are headed or riveted over at the outer sides of the ears.

The part 23 may bear directly against the upper edge of the lower cap flange 19. The riveting of the ends of' the pin 27 draws the ears 24 'toward each other and clamps the part 23 tightly against the tubular hous ing.

The latch is attached in the usual manner by securingits base 13 to a frame member of' the vehicle over which is usually a cover 28 of sheet metal the inner edge of' which is turned upwardly at right angles to make an abutment 29 against which the lower edge portion of the hood door 2() bear when the door is in closed position. A keeper 31 is permanently secured to the outer s ide of the hood door 30 with which the hook 1() may be engaged on grasping the handle and pulling upwardly thereon so as to compress spring 20. After thc hook is engaged with the keeper 31 the spring exerts a force on the hook which is transmitted to the hood door 30 serving to hold it in lower'positlion. At the same time the hook l() is being engaged with theI keeper 31, the pressure niember 25 is brought against the outer side of the hood door and as the hook is lowered into engagement with the keeper 31 the pressure member bears against the ydoor and rolls` about the axis of the pin 27. Accordingly the door is pressed snugly against the abutnient 29 and held against any vibration which would cause undesired noise.

In Figs. 7 to 12 inclusive, a different form of the invention is shown.A The housing members 1, instead of being of semi-cy- 100 lindrical i'orm, are widened in one direction so that when two of them are placed together the cross section of the housing is ot' oval shape as shown in Fig. 9. This makesy the distance between the flanges 4 greater 105 than inthe structure shown in Figs. 1 to 5, and the handle neednot be widened above the upper end of the housing as in the first described structure. Otherwise the handle is the same and its attachment to the hous- 110 lng member is the same. rIhe lower closing cap is also of oval instead of circular shape, the base 18a being shaped in accordance with the lower end of the housing. :Instead of using a rod like 16, a U-shaped 115 member made of wire or of rod smaller in diameter is used, it having a lower cross connecting portion 32 connecting the two spaced apart sides 33 of said U-shaped member. These sides 33 are located one at each 120 side of the spring 21, said sides passing upwardly through two spaced apart openings in the base 18a. A cross bar 34 of sheet metal having oppositely extending wings 35 is placed over the two sides 33, the wings 125 having openings to pass the same, and the intermediate portion of the cross bar 34 is formed with a downwardly extending annular lip 36 pressed from the metal and fittingv into the upper end of the spring20. The l bar is secured in place a short distance below the upper ends of the sides 33 by flattened or upsetting the sides, as indicated at 37 at least above the bar, though as shown in Fig. 8 they may be iattened both above and below the bar.

The assembly of this spring unit is the same as in the first described structure', namely, placing the spring between the lower cap and' the bar 34 and then inserting the upper ends of the parts 33 and bar 34 and the spring into t-he housing and securing the lower cap in place by lmeans of the tongues 2. Theattaching base tor mounting the latch is modified. lt comprises a base 38 with a curved section 38 extending from one edge of substantially semicylindrical form with the open side down. This part 39 passes between the sides 33 and over the connectin portion 32 whereby the latch is securely he d in place and has a pivotal movement toward and away from the hood door, the same as the latch shown inv Figs. 1 and 2 is permitted such pivotal movement by reason of the slot 15. 4

The side engaging clamp shown in Figs. 7, 8, and 9 is somewhat modified being made of a greater height so as to bring the clamp at a higher point where it engages the door 30. The curved section 23' is of a shape to lit the oval shaped housing and the ears 24a extending therefrom extend from the upper part of the housing and are formed at their free edges with a number of inturned prongs 40 which embed themselves in the rubber block 41 placed between them. A securing rivet 42 passes through the ears and the rubber block as shown.

In Fig. 6 the side clamp shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4, instead of being mounted on the latch, is mounted on the door. A base 43 is placed against the door and its ends 44 bent inwardly at right angles to pass through slots in the door 30 and then clinched inwardly against the" inner side thereof. Bars 45 extend outwardly from each side of the base 43, between which the rotatably mounted rubber member 25 is mounted the same as it is mounted between the ears 24 in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive.

This construction of latch is practical and simple to manufacture'. rlhe housing members are duplicates and are made with the same dies. rlhe handle may be widened so as to give the necessary bearing surface and' not injure the hands of the operator. rlhe two assembly units ofthe structure are easily assembled and then may be placed together and connected by merely clinching the tongues 2 against the base 18 (or 18a) of the lower closing cap of the housing. The rolling contact either between the rubber roller 25 and the side of the hood door as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, or between the roller and the side of the latch housing as shown 1n Fig. 6 is a feature of novelty and merit, there being no necessity of frictionally moving the rubber against any surface while at the Sametime pressing the rubber against such surface.

rlhe invention is defined in the appended claims and is to be considered comprehensive of all forms of structure coming within their scope.

I claim:

l. A hood latch housing comprising, two halves made of sheet metal and located against each other, a handle of sheet metal having a hook struck therefrom secured at and between the upper'ends of said halves of the housing, a cap attached to and closing the lower end of the housing, and securing the two halves of the housing together at their lower ends, a spring within the housing, and a member passing through said cap and normally acted upon by said spring to telescope said member into the housing.

2. A housing for a hood latch comprising, two separate parts of identical form located with their edges against each other, a handle of flat metal disposed between and at the upper ends of said parts, means passing through the handle and said parts to connect the same together at their upper ends and a closing cap attached to and closing the lower end of the housing and securing the parts together at their lower ends.

3. A housing for hood latches comprising, two parts of identical construction made of sheet metal and having inwardly bent upper ends, a handle of sheet metal having a part located between the upper ends of said members, and means passing through said upper ends of the members and the handle for securing the same together.

4. A housing member for hood latches comprising two halves of sheet metal located with their edge portions abutting and having upper ends bent inwardly toward each other, a handle of flat metal having a lower portion passing between the upper inwardly bent ends of said halves of the housing, said handle at its lower end within the housing -being slit vertically, and the parts at each 4side of said slit bent in opposite directions to diverge from each other and come against the inner sides of the housing, and securing means passing through the upper ends of said housing and said handle.

5. A hood latch housing comprising two halves of sheet metal having half round form except at their upper ends and at said ends being bent inwardly toward each other and having shallow channel form, said halves of the housing being placed together with their edges abutting, a handle of fiat metal having a lower end portion located between the upper ends of the housing and housed within the channel portions thereof, and means securing said handle and halves of the vhousing together.

6. A hood latch comprising a housing, a handle of flat metal secured to the upper end of the housing extending vertically upward therefrom and thence `being curved so as to extend upwardly and outwardly in one direction at an angle to the lower end of the handle, a hook struck from said curved portion of the handle and extending` away therefrom, a spring within the housing bearing against the lower end thereof, and a member slidable through the lower end of the housing and acted upon by said spring 20 to normally cause said member to move upwardly into said housing. l 7. handle for hood latches comprising, a single piece of flat metal comprising a vertical section and a handle portion curved upwardly and to one side away from said section and an integral tongue struck from the handle portion and extending away therefrom.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

FRANK E. LIVERANCE, JR. 

